A side-handle baton (sometimes referred to as T-batons or Nightsticks) is a baton with a short side handle at a right angle to the shaft, about six inches from one end. The main shaft is typically 24 inches (61 cm) in length. A well known example is the Monadnock PR-24. It can be held by: One end, and the corner between the shaft and the handle used to catch a long swung blunt or sharp weapon; or the side handle, and the long shaft held against the hand and forearm to splint and shield the arm against an expected blow from an attacker. Side-handle batons are made in both fixed and collapsible models, and may be constructed from a range of materials including wood, polycarbonate, epoxy, and aluminum. Some side-handle batons are one-piece in design; the side-handle component and primary shaft are permanently fused together during manufacturing. One-piece designs are potentially stronger in design than two-piece designs, and have no risk of having a locking screw loosen from its threads. Other side-handle batons are two-piece in design; the side-handle component is screwed into primary shaft. The side handle may be removed from the shaft by the end-user, converting the side-handle into a straight baton. Users of two-piece side handle batons are advised to apply a thread-locking compound to the side-handle screw to prevent loosening under use.
The advantages of a side-handle baton over a straight baton are numerous: There are a far greater number of defensive techniques/maneuvers that may be used with the side-handle baton in contrast with the straight baton; the side-handle component may aid in weapon retention, making it more difficult for a suspect to take the baton away from the officer in a struggle; The side-handle component prevents the baton from rolling far away if inadvertently dropped, unlike a straight baton; subjectively, some officers may be able to deliver a strike of greater power with the side-handle baton (when used in conjunction with a “power stroke”) over a straight baton; Due to its design, a side handle baton is generally used in a more defensive and less offensive manner than a straight baton, and thus it is less likely for an officer to “instinctively” use a side-handle baton as a simple bludgeon and direct indiscriminate strikes against a suspect. Also, the typically defensive stance the side-handle baton is used with is generally believed to present a more community-friendly image than a straight baton. Side-handle batons have a few disadvantages: More training is required for an officer to fully utilize the potential of a side-handle baton compared to a straight baton; the side-handle slightly increases overall weight and bulk of the baton compared to a straight baton of identical length; when the side-handle baton is used as a simple bludgeon (without gripping the side-handle), it is less effective than a straight baton. See, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_(law_enforcement), last accessed Aug. 5, 2010, expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Police batons, some of which feature side handles (also known as cross handles), are typically carried by law enforcement officers, security guards, and the military. These devices are also known as nightsticks. These are used as non-lethal weapons and safety devices. Police batons are described in detail in several US patent applications and issued US patents. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,097, US App. 2007/0238533, US App. 2005/0187025, U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,621, U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,622, U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,855, U.S. D452,545, U.S. D450,451, U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,292, U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,447, U.S. D440,273, U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,888, U.S. D404,789, U.S. D401,374, U.S. D395,069, U.S. D391,336, U.S. D386,612, U.S. D386,299, U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,300, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,283, U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,308, U.S. D360,007, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,349, U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,362, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,164, U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,108, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,098, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,097, U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,568, U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,636, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,932, U.S. D282,863, U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,398, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,409, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,436, Clyde, et al., expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, provides a combination baton/light emitting device having a stick portion and a handle orthogonal thereto. The stick portion includes a hollow cylindrical chamber having a flashlight mechanism at one end thereof. The flashlight mechanism comprises a longitudinally slit metallic cylindrical member spring-biased to widen the diameter thereof and the slit and fitably engaged with the inner chamber wall. Electrical contacts, first and second electrical contact members, a switch and a flashlight bulb are provided for energization. The handle has an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the stick portion and housing the switch. The handle portion has a housing for maintaining the location of the switch for operation with the same hand of the individual holding the combined flashlight-baton. Internal contacts and electrical connections are provided in the hollowed-out cylindrical chamber and the handle, the cylindrical member being part of the electric circuitry for the light mechanism.
The police baton with crosshandle, described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,097, incorporated herein by reference, has a baton main body and a crosshandle branched in perpendicular from the baton main body at a position localized longitudinally from the center to one end of the baton main body. A user of the police baton usually grips the crosshandle with his little finger positioned on the side near the baton main body and manipulates the baton while controlling the gripping force. The user performs offense and defense to strike an opponent, for example, by rotating the baton around the axis of the crosshandle while thrusting the baton main body, suddenly stopping the rotation or projecting the baton main body along its axial direction.
One example of a police baton with crosshandle has a baton main body with crosshandle and a telescopic structure comprising a plurality of hollow cylindrical members each of different diameter. If the baton main body is contracted, it can be put into a holder and suspended from a waist or shoulder of a user like that a hand gun and can be carried about without being observed and giving no threatening impression if he puts on a suit or a jacket over it.
One conventional structure for attaching or detaching an attachment to and from a police baton is a structure in which a guard is secured as an attachment to a simply straight rod-like police baton. In this structure, a guard made of a metal thin plate is detachably mounted to a police baton having a gripping haft at one end of a rod member which is made telescopic in the longitudinal direction. The guard is made of a metal thin plate, which is mounted detachably to the police baton. The combination forms an opening in a central portion of a metal tongue plate. The result is a circumferential groove substantially at one-half thickness along the outer circumferential side of a rubber ring. This groove has an inner diameter equal with an outer diameter of the police baton rod member in the vicinity of the base end thereof. It further has an appropriate thickness. The combination fits the outer circumferential groove to the opening in the metal plate to constitute a guard and fitting the rubber ring around the circumferential periphery of the rod member from the end. It passes as far as the base end of the gripping haft.
The simple straight police baton described above is easy in the way of use and suitable to general use but it involves a drawback that a hand gripping the haft is exposed to the outside tending to be injured by opponent's weapon or the like.
On the other hand, in the police baton with crosshandle, when it is used like that a straight police baton by gripping the haft of the main body, the crosshandle serves as a guard to protect the gripping hand. On the other hand, when it is used by gripping the cross handle, quick motion, high speed rotation, sudden starting or stopping, or jabbing from out of the opponent's view which is difficult to be forecast and, accordingly, it is considered more effective than the simply straight baton. However, it requires a considerable period of time for training to get skilled in the manipulation for controlling the movement of a rod main body by adjusting the gripping force to the cross handle. In addition, there has been a problem that a crosshandle protruding in perpendicular to the baton main body is in the way when it is intended to carry about the police baton without being observed, for example, in a state where a policeman disguises himself into light wears without a suit or jacket or in a case where it is contained in a more compact state, upon secret investigation.
Strobe lights and LED strobe lights are flashlights that shine a bright light. When a strobe light is shined into the face of a suspect, the suspect may have difficulty seeing for a short time, with little or no long term damage. This will allow the police officer to detain, disarm, and arrest the suspect with little danger to both the suspect and the police officer. Various forms of strobe lights are described in detail in Wikipedia: Strobe Light, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strobe_light, last visited Jun. 24, 2010. See also U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,881, incorporated herein by reference.
Flashes, which cause momentary bright or extremely bright light are known in the art. These are useful in photography to temporarily light up a scene so that a camera can take a picture. Many cameras manufactured by Kodak, Canon, Polaroid, and others, and sold at Staples, BestBuy, and other retailers, feature flash technology. In addition, flash technology is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,747,161, U.S. Pat. No. 7,742,098, U.S. Pat. No. 7,738,725, U.S. Pat. No. 7,734,168, U.S. Pat. No. 7,710,457, U.S. Pat. No. 7,702,235, U.S. Pat. No. 7,702,228, U.S. Pat. No. 7,683,967, U.S. Pat. No. 7,683,966, U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,192, U.S. Pat. No. 7,615,971, U.S. Pat. No. 7,589,785, U.S. Pat. No. 7,570,881, U.S. Pat. No. 7,548,271, U.S. Pat. No. 7,522,831, U.S. Pat. No. 7,505,682, U.S. Pat. No. 7,499,636, U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,825, U.S. Pat. No. 7,450,168, U.S. Pat. No. 7,443,141, U.S. Pat. No. 7,437,063, U.S. Pat. No. 7,428,016, U.S. Pat. No. 7,424,216, U.S. Pat. No. 7,418,201, U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,161, U.S. Pat. No. 7,406,258, U.S. Pat. No. 7,385,642, U.S. Pat. No. 7,379,117, U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,081, U.S. Pat. No. 7,372,499, U.S. Pat. No. 7,333,144, U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,697, U.S. Pat. No. 7,224,894, U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,999, U.S. Pat. No. 7,148,922, U.S. Pat. No. 7,136,672, U.S. Pat. No. 7,130,535, U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,983, U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,962, U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,378, U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,578, U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,989, U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,986, U.S. Pat. No. 7,064,788, U.S. Pat. No. 7,049,760, U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,083, U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,093, US App. 2010/0134679, US App. 2010/0124412, US App. 2010/0118177, US App. 2010/0109613, US App. 2010/0079581, US App. 2010/0074610, US App. 2010/0020227, US App. 2010/0008658, US App. 2009/0310013, US App. 2009/0285573, US App. 2009/0284647, US App. 2009/0279881, US App. 2009/0263117, US App. 2009/0243493, US App. 2009/0208198, US App. 2009/0196595, US App. 2009/0190002, US App. 2009/0160944, US App. 2009/0153729, US App. 2009/0135262, US App. 2009/0129765, US App. 2009/0121644, US App. 2009/0103912, US App. 2009/0034952, US App. 2008/0298798, US App. 2008/0260371, US App. 2008/0211461, US App. 2008/0181598, US App. 2008/0181596, US App. 2008/0166112, US App. 2008/0136960, US App. 2008/0088733, US App. 2008/0074551, US App. 2008/0074536, US App. 2008/0062302, US App. 2007/0248347, US App. 2007/0237510, US App. 2007/0196095, US App. 2007/0139550, US App. 2007/0081811, US App. 2007/0030340, US App. 2006/0250519, US App. 2006/0245750, US App. 2006/0165399, US App. 2006/0159441, US App. 2006/0093350, US App. 2006/0093344, US App. 2006/0088306, US App. 2006/0072916, and US App. 2006/0055818, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Optical scanners are known in the art. These scanners can read a bar code, and provide information related to the bar code. For example, a bar code on a driver's license can be scanned. When the scanner is connected, either over wires or wirelessly, to a computer with a display, the computer can provide information relevant to the driver's license. For example, the computer can allow the officer to enter the information about a traffic ticket that he is about to issue or to verify the validity of the driver's license, vehicle registration, and insurance. Various systems and methods for making and using optical scanners are described in: U.S. Pat. No. 7,733,551, U.S. Pat. No. 7,728,989, U.S. Pat. No. 7,727,622, U.S. RE41,338, U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,185, U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,181, U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,180, U.S. Pat. No. 7,688,491, U.S. Pat. No. 7,688,490, U.S. Pat. No. 7,681,798, U.S. Pat. No. 7,679,802, U.S. Pat. No. 7,679,045, U.S. Pat. No. 7,672,032, U.S. Pat. No. 7,646,519, U.S. Pat. No. 7,643,191, U.S. Pat. No. 7,643,135, U.S. Pat. No. 7,639,413, U.S. Pat. No. 7,639,407, U.S. Pat. No. 7,616,364, U.S. Pat. No. 7,611,055, U.S. Pat. No. 7,602,680, U.S. Pat. No. 7,602,540, U.S. Pat. No. 7,601,949, U.S. Pat. No. 7,593,150, U.S. Pat. No. 7,593,028, U.S. Pat. No. 7,588,187, U.S. Pat. No. 7,573,626, U.S. Pat. No. 7,570,406, U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,874, U.S. Pat. No. 7,538,925, U.S. Pat. No. 7,538,924, U.S. Pat. No. 7,535,612, U.S. Pat. No. 7,535,594, U.S. Pat. No. 7,532,227, U.S. Pat. No. 7,528,958, U.S. Pat. No. 7,525,710, U.S. Pat. No. 7,525,561, U.S. Pat. No. 7,515,323, U.S. Pat. No. 7,515,170, U.S. Pat. No. 7,499,070, U.S. Pat. No. 7,483,183, U.S. Pat. No. 7,479,626, U.S. Pat. No. 7,470,070, U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,394, U.S. Pat. No. 7,453,616, U.S. Pat. No. 7,445,723, U.S. Pat. No. 7,441,905, U.S. Pat. No. 7,436,567, U.S. Pat. No. 7,423,786, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,411,712, the disclosure of each of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Breath alcohol detectors are typically used by police officers in investigating driving under influence (DUI) and other alcohol-related violations. A breathalyzer is a device for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC) from a breath sample. This device is described in detail in Wikipedia: Breathalyzer, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathalyzer, last accessed Jun. 25, 2010. Systems and methods for detecting blood alcohol content from a person's breath are described in detail in: U.S. Pat. No. 7,603,887, U.S. Pat. No. 7,603,886, U.S. Pat. No. 7,541,192, U.S. Pat. No. 7,422,723, U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,390, U.S. Pat. No. 7,171,842, U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,154, U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,581, U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,040, U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,793, U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,941, U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,051, U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,177, U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,558, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,395, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,637, U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,495, U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,555, U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,898, U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,535, U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,875, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,161, U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,545, U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,810, U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,026, U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,553, U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,057, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,008, U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,021, U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,418, U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,055, U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,994, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,777, U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,635, U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,318, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,453, U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,384, U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,583, U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,636, U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,875, U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,078, U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,893, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,855, the disclosure of each of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray (from “Oleoresin Capsicum”), OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness) that is used in riot control, crowd control, and personal self-defense. Pepper spray is useful to the police because it can be used to immobilize individual suspects or crowds while placing both the police officer and the suspects or crowds in relatively little long term danger. Pepper spray is described in detail in Wikipedia: Pepper Spray, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_spray, last accessed Jun. 25, 2010. Various systems and methods for making, using, and storing pepper spray are described in detail in: U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,750, U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,723, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,588, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Means for connecting substantially arbitrary devices to a computer are known in the art. USB ports (e.g., USB 1.1, 2.0, 3.0) and Bluetooth® (v2, v3) wireless technology are typically used for this purpose. In a USB connection, one end of a wire is adapted to be plugged into a laptop or desktop USB port, and the other end is adapted to be plugged into an input for the device to connect to the computer, such as a cell phone, digital music player, global positioning system (GPS) device, etc. The external device may then exchange data and communicate with the computer. Optionally, a device that is plugged into a USB port of a laptop or desktop computer may be configured to communicate wirelessly with another device. This is typically used for wireless computer mice, which are manufactured by Microsoft Corporation, Hewlett Packard Corporation, and others. Bluetooth® technology allows for wireless communication between two devices that are configured for such communication, typically used in cell phones, digital music players, hands free headsets for cell phones and music players, and laptop computers.
Metal detectors are known in the art. These are used to locate objects made of metal, such as coins, weapons, bombs, or electronic devices. See: U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,521, U.S. Pat. No. 7,710,118, U.S. Pat. No. 7,701,337, U.S. Pat. No. 7,701,204, U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,153, U.S. Pat. No. 7,652,477, U.S. Pat. No. 7,649,356, U.S. Pat. No. 7,592,907, U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,839, U.S. Pat. No. 7,575,065, U.S. Pat. No. 7,474,102, U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,532, U.S. Pat. No. 7,423,422, U.S. Pat. No. 7,310,586, U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,683, U.S. Pat. No. 7,265,551, U.S. Pat. No. 7,227,466, U.S. Pat. No. 7,193,524, U.S. Pat. No. 7,176,691, U.S. Pat. No. 7,148,691, U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,456, U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,328, U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,103, U.S. Pat. No. 7,078,906, U.S. Pat. No. 7,061,236, U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,577, U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,823, U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,789, U.S. Pat. No. 6,696,947, U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,169, U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,742, U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,838, U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,044, U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,938, U.S. Pat. No. 6,583,625, U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,007, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,053, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Glass breaking modules are known in the art. See: U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,815, U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,867, U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,265, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,558, U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,403, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,518, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Traffic directing wands are known in the art. See: U.S. Pat. No. 7,261,456, U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,119, U.S. D462,918, U.S. D450,144, U.S. D389,420, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,917, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Stun guns, incapacitant weapons that momentarily disable a victim with an electric shock, are known in the art. See: U.S. Pat. No. 7,746,622, U.S. D611,116, U.S. D611,115, U.S. D611,114, U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,248, U.S. D585,519, U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,517, U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,933, U.S. D576,246, U.S. D561,294, U.S. D552,207, U.S. D530,774, U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,196, U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,762, U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,412, U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,613, U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,916, U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,120, U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,501, U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,638, U.S. D351,639, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,332, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,048, U.S. D325,297, U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,645, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,264, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 4 illustrates a prior art police baton 400. This police baton has a handle 410, which connects at one end to an elongated member 440. The elongated member 440 has two ends 420 and 430. The police officer is intended to hold the baton in his hand using handle 420 and to use the baton for non-lethal self-defense. Batons are made of wood, metal, plastic, or similar materials.
Certain customized police batons are known in the art. For example, a police baton with an LED flashlight is sold by assistedknife.com. See LED Flashlight Tactical Police Baton Telescoping 16 inch Expandable Club, www.assistedknife.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/25009/subcatid/67732/id/451415, last accessed Jun. 25, 2010.
Folding batons are also known in the art. These are sold on the Internet by Self Defense Outlet at Self Defense Outlet: Folding Steel Collapsible Batons, www.self-defense-outlet.com/Store/folding_steel_batons, last visited Jun. 25, 2010.